TRENTON — Even after the bridge scandal, New Jersey voters say Gov. Chris Christie is more of a leader than a bully. But about half say Bridgegate damaged his presidential chances, according to a new poll.

The Republican governor earned one of his lowest “bully” scores since Quinnipiac University started asking the question more than three years ago. Voters say Christie is more of a leader than a bully, 54 percent to 40 percent. Democrats feel differently, saying, 56 percent to 37 percent, that he's more bully than leader.

Democrats have labeled a Christie a bully and say he created a culture that make it OK for his allies to close lanes to the George Washington Bridge, creating an epic traffic jam in Fort Lee in September, to punish the borough’s mayor. The governor has denied any involvement.

Asked if the scandal damages Christie’s chances as a 2016 presidential contender, about 49 percent of voters who are aware of Bridgegate say "yes." Another 7 percent say the scandal ends those White House chances, while 2 percent say it helps them and 38 percent say the scandal will have no impact.

“Christie for President? This scandal hurts his chances, both Democrats and Republicans think,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “But — maybe it’s pride in having their governor tops on the list — many New Jerseyans think he’s still up there."

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,207 voters from Jan. 10-13. During a Jan. 9 marathon news conference that fueled national interest in the bridge scandal, Christie said, "I am not a bully.” The poll has a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points.

Voters still approve of the job the governor is doing, 55 percent to 38 percent. That’s down from 68 percent to 26 percent in July, and his all time high of 73 percent to 22 percent in February.

“Christie is doing better with the public than with the news media. His job approval has dropped from the stratosphere, but it's still double-digit positive, pretty much where he was before his Superstorm Sandy hug with President Barack Obama,” Carroll said.

Since the scandal, Democrats’ approval of Christie has dropped into negative territory. In February, they approved of his job performance, 56 to 38 percent. In the latest poll, only 36 percent approved and 55 percent disapproved. The governor often touts what he calls his bipartisan approach to governing and a significant number of Democrats voted to give him a second term.

Nearly all New Jersey voters — 93 percent — have heard or read about Bridgegate. Among that group, 66 percent said they believe Christie did not personally order the traffic jam. Even 53 percent of Democrats say Christie wasn’t involved. Half of all voters who are aware of the scandal said Christie’s aides acted without his knowledge, while 41 percent say Christie knew what they were up to.

Of the voters who said Christie ordered the lane closures or knew what his aides were doing, about one-third said he should be removed from office and prosecuted on criminal charges, one-third say he should be removed from office and one-third say an apology would be enough. Christie has said he first learned of his allies’ role in the closures from news reports.

The poll found 43 percent of voters want aides accused of involvement prosecuted, while 45 percent say removal from office is sufficient punishment and 6 percent say a reprimand is punishment enough.